Gilbert emerged at a crucial time for Texas A&M, which survived a scare early in the second half when All-SEC center Kelsey Bone fell to the floor with a leg injury.

Bone later returned wearing a right knee brace after missing about 6 minutes, but the outlook was hardly encouraging after she limped off the floor and South Carolina soon took its first lead on Bruner's layup.

Fortunately for the Aggies, Gilbert effectively used her 6-foot-5 frame to block out the Gamecocks' front line for rebounds and put-backs. In a season-high 21 minutes, she hit all three field-goal attempts and was 5 for 7 on free throws.

Her presence helped A&M go on an 11-1 run before Bone returned and made it 48-40 on a put-back at the 8:24 mark.

Less than 2 minutes later, Bone's free throw gave the Aggies an 11-point lead.

“The bench is very important,” Gilbert said. “Obviously, we do not have a lot of 40-minute players, so it's very important for the people to come off the bench and be ready.”

(9) Tennessee 82, Florida 73: Steele graduate Meighan Simmons scored 20 points and the Lady Vols (24-6) turned back a late rally to defeat the Gators (18-14) and extend their winning streak in the SEC tournament.

Tennessee, the three-time defending champion, has won 10 straight games in the tournament since its loss to Auburn in the 2009 semifinals.